Seattle ‘Superhero’ Phoenix Jones Arrested

For about a year, a man using the pseudonym Phoenix Jones has donned a costume and mask and prowled the streets of Seattle in an effort to thwart crime. But early Monday morning, it was the self-styled superhero who found himself behind bars.

Seattle police say Jones approached a group of people at about 2:30 a.m. and assaulted them with pepper spray. The individuals involved say they were “dancing and having a good time” after leaving a Seattle nightclub, but Jones maintains they were fighting and he was simply breaking it up.

“I would never hurt or harm another person if they were not causing harm to another human being,” Jones said on his Facebook page.

His spokesman Peter Tangen added, “The fight was a huge group of people against a smaller group. It was an unfair fight, he went there to break it up.”

The film crew Jones often has with him taped 13 minutes of the altercation, some of which does seem to show the group fighting with one another before Jones steps in.

But a police spokesman said Jones’ actions were unnecessary. “If you see something that warrants calling 911, call 911. You don’t need to dress up in a costume to do that.”

Jones was released without bond and said he plans to continue fighting crime.